The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan

Release date: 2008 / 331 pages

Synopsis (from back cover): Before there was Marley, there was a gleefully mischievous boy navigating his way through the seismic social upheaval of the 1960′s. On the one side were his loving but comically traditional parents, whose expectations were clear. On the other were his neighborhood pals and all the misdeeds that followed. The more young John tried to straddle these two worlds, the more spectacularly, and hilariously, he failed…

First line: “The call came on a school night in the autumn of 2002.”

Review: What a happy surprise this memoir was!  When TLC contacted me about reviewing it, I agreed since my husband and I had enjoyed Marley and Me.  But, as with all memoirs I tackle, I was a bit trepidacious.  Would it resonate with universal aspects of humanity or simply be very, very well-written — my two requirements for a satisfying memoir? 

Initially I wasn’t sure; although I was happily surprised by the setting of a suburb near Detroit that I am quite familiar with since my grandparents lived in Orchard Lake for years and my aunt and uncle continue to do so.  One of my cousins even attended West Bloomfield high school, as did Grogan.  Additionally, his first post-college job was in St. Joseph, Michigan, the same city as my brother’s first post-college job.  Before reading this memoir,  I had only connected Grogan with the East Coast since this was the setting of Marley and did not realize we shared a common upbringing.   

His exploits near Cass Lake and at St. Mary’s were easy to picture not only because of Grogan’s gift for description, but because I had seen these sights countless times in my childhood: 

Saint Mary’s was a Catholic prep school, college, and seminary directly across Commerce Road from our neighborhood. Its primary purpose was to train future priests. It might sound counterintuitive, skipping Mass to hang around a Catholic seminary, but the grounds of Saint Mary’s were breathtaking; it was one of the most serene places on the planet. Situated on a bluff overlooking Orchard Lake, a smaller, more bucolic twin to Cass Lake, the camplus long ago had housed a military academy and was studded with castlelike brick buildings and oak trees that had stood there since before the Civil War… It was one of those perfect summer days that made all the lousy Michigan weather worth it…

No joke about Michigan weather, either — when people ask me why I moved to Minnesota, I’m not kidding when I reply “for the sun.” 

In addition, I, too, have left my childhood religion — though switching from one Protestant denomination to another was understandably a much less painful transition for my parents.  Choosing Methodism over Lutheranism is quite different from leaving the Catholic church, and I did fulfill Grogan’s parents’ dreams of marrying a good Catholic, although with no desire to change affiliations again.

However, despite my enjoyment with the setting and common experiences, I was a bit worried at first — the “naughty Catholic school boy” stories were enjoyable, but did seem to focus quite a bit on undressing nuns and the female anatomy.  Yes, I do realize that this occupies young male minds quite a bit, but there was a gender barrier here as I imagine a male would find if I waxed rhapsodic about my obsession with horses and becoming the next National Velvet as a young girl.

Fortunately, these fears soon dissapated and I realized that most — if not all — readers would find this memoir a joy, despite setting or cultural background.  What Grogan does so deftly is put into words what we so often are at a loss to describe: the experience of forging an identity independent from our parents and childhood, yet maintaining strong ties. 

For Grogan, being raised Catholic was as much cultural as religious, even though his father would hesitate at my choice of the word “culture.”  Religion is often as much a cultural indoctrination as a religious one, which makes it that much harder to redefine.  The Grogans emphasis on doctrine and faith — and not faith alone — paved a difficult path for Grogan to follow, leading to secrecy, half-truths, and, of course, “guilt.”  What Grogan’s adult life allows him is the space to define for himself what parts of his parents’ culture he wants to maintain and which parts are no longer authentic for him.

Somehow, Grogan manages to express these conflicts and realizations with humor, compassion, and kindness — never turning his devout parents into caricatures, yet staying true to his own path as well.  Grogan also never condescends to the reader, either.  I finished this memoir in tears, but with a deep peace that has resonated for days.  Through the particulars of his own unique journey, Grogan is able to tap into the universal experience of  growing up, honoring how painful breaks from past tradition can be, and embracing how healing it can be to find a true identity.

So, I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir and recommend it without reservation, whether you were raised in Michigan or not — Catholic or not — male or female.

Visit other blogs on the tour to see their reviews of the book:

Wednesday, October 21st: The Novel Book Worm
Thursday, October 22nd: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books
Monday, October 26th: Book Club Classics!
Tuesday, October 27th: Readaholic
Tuesday, November 3rd: Bookstack
Thursday, November 5th: The Book Zombie
Monday, November 9th: The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness
Thursday, November 12th: Cozy Little House
Tuesday, November 17th: Starting Fresh
Date TBD: The Book Lady’s Blog

Thanks to Trish at TLC Book Tours for sending me a copy of this book to review.

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